Xingtai mayor under probe after corruption accusations

The anti-graft watchdog in Hebei province is investigating a mayor who allegedly took bribes after a whistle-blowing online post, the Xinhua News Agency reported on Monday.

Liu Daqun, mayor of Xingtai city, was accused in an online post on Dec 10 of accepting 5 million yuan ($800,000) from a real estate developer and 8 million yuan from a road project contractor.

The post also said that he is responsible for the economic losses of a State-owned road and bridge construction company, where more than 1,000 workers could not get their salaries on time.

Liu was also accused of having a mistress, who was promoted by him and became an official at the city's management bureau. He is also said to have given an expensive car to the woman.

The Party's Hebei provincial commission for discipline inspection said that the anti-corruption agency has started to investigate the case, Xinhua reported.

Liu has not responded to the charges made in the whistle-blowing post.

As former deputy director of the Hebei provincial agriculture department, Liu was punished in March 2009 after the local Sanlu company was found to have produced melamine-tainted milk powder. He became mayor of Xingtai city in January 2010.